Pamela Anderson was not involved in making the TV series Pam and Tommy, the showrunners have said. Created by Robert Siegel Pam and Tommy, the show chronicles the marriage between Anderson and Lee and the release of their infamous sex tape.
In an interview with EW, the showrunners D.V. DeVincentis and Siegel say they attempted to reach out to the former Baywatch star, but she never got in contact with them. “We particularly wanted to let Pamela Anderson know that this portrayal was very much a positive thing and that we cared a great deal about her,” DeVincentis explained. “[We] wanted her to know that the show loves her.”
Unfortunately, Anderson never responded, even when Lily James, who plays Anderson on the series, reached out. Work began on the series as far back as 2014 when The Rolling Stone published an article about the leak of Anderson and Lee’s sex tape. Producers purchased the rights to the article and pressed ahead with developing the article into a TV show.
“The article was [from] 2014, and it’s kind of amazing that it was still out there and it wasn’t snatched up that first day came out,” Siegel told EW. “To me, it screams limited series.”
There were rumours that Lee and Anderson deliberately leaked the tape themselves; however, Steel was keen to play down these allegations in the show, expressing shock that anyone would say that. He says Pam and Tommy’s sympathies lie with Anderson, explaining: “We very clearly, unambiguously present them as the victims of a crime, which they were.”
“These people were victims of a crime, and they were completely against this being released,” DeVincentis emphasised. “They were horrified that it was in public, and they were traumatised by it. So much of this show is about the behind-the-scenes strength and heroism of Pamela Anderson in the way that she dealt with and got herself through it.”
The first three episodes of Pam and Tommy are available to stream on Disney Plus now.